Santa Ana Dog Beater Strikes Again & Gets Nabbed

This afternoon, the same female who was filmed yesterday punching, choking and strangling a small dog in Santa Ana tried to pummel the dog again. But, alerted by the OC Weeklyblog post, the building's residents came to the dog's rescue.

"I heard that same little dog crying," one of them just told me. "I ran to the window, looked down and saw that person from the video hitting the dog again in the face and head. Right then, another neighbor who was closer ran up to her and told her to stop. I can't believe she was going to beat that dog again."

Santa Ana police officers--who'd expressed shock after seeing the video this morning--quickly arrived and took the 15-year-old suspect, who is in the 10th grade of high school, into custody.

"Our main concern was for the welfare of the dog, and I'm happy to report that it's now safe," said Corporal Jose Gonzalez. "The girl apparently has a diminished mental capacity."

After questioning, the girl was released to the custody of her mother, who voluntarily surrendered the pet to an animal control officer. The dog will be transported this afternoon to a county shelter and made available for adoption.

Santa Ana police say they will submit a report plus the Weekly's video footage to the Orange County District Attorney's office for prosecution consideration.